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I started compiling a list a couple months back of my favorite rap tracks from the 90s. When all was said and done, I had 801 tracks, and that was me being pretty fastidious. I got it down to around 125 now and I'm gonna roll it out, top 100 countdown style.

I'm just going to do a few per day (or so) and talk about the reasons I like them and what not. It'll probably get long and tedious after a while, so sorry about that in advance.

A few caveats:

1. These aren’t necessarily my all time favorite 100; I chose not to include any of the hip-hop songs that were in pitchforks top 200 tracks of the 90's. Most of those would/should be on here, but I went more for the not-so-obvious choices in some cases to keep it fresh, and hopefully somewhat educational.

2. I tried to keep it to one track per artist (besides guest spots), otherwise my list would have just been a load of DJ Quik, Outkast, Mobb Deep, Wu, etc. My initial list had 16 Notorious BIG cuts; so choosing just one of those is a crapshoot, as is such with lists.

3. This isn’t a thread for you to post your lists into…yet, so please wait until I’m done. But feel free to talk about any of the tracks/artists that are mentioned, or maybe link up your favorite track by said artist, etc.

Off of the stellar ’94 album “The Main Ingredient”, which contains the best work Pete Rock ever did, imo. The lp has so much bounce to it, and the beats are as lush as they come. CL is a capable mc, but Pete Rock is what made the duo what it was. I love the little piano flourishes and how the track is layered.

“Put the jailhouse funk in under stars
til the lines on my looseleaf, look like some metal bars
My forecast hits a megablast, and what I invent
a pack of bloodhounds could never get the scent”

A great smooth tune for summertime cruising, which is all the song is about. I always loved the hook.

I didn’t even hear about King Tee until high school, and he was already like 3-4 albums deep. He influenced a number of artists and is considered a pioneer of the west coast sound. Biggy has claimed that King Tee was his favorite rapper and that he modeled his flow after his.

“I let the batteries charge while the kids stood waitin
For me to hit the switch and floss the Daytons
I tap my shi*, yo, my shi* was hot
So I drove her straight down to the wash spot
They shine my shi* up real glossy
Suckers starin but my shi* jumps like Kriss Kross G”

My roommates and I would play this song all the time just to take turns screaming along at the yelling parts. We would often burst it out in public to disturb the peace a little. The video is a pretty great parody on gangster rap, something like what Blink 182 did with boy bands.

“You gots to gimme gimme mine cause I'm heavy when I weigh it
Watch the way I say it (ego trip)
Change my pitch up, smack my bitc* up
I never did it
The flavor's bein' butt but brothers ain't gettin' it
Get it; or else you're a goner…”

Somehow this ended up on the Nutty Professor soundtrack, and admittedly, thats how I heard it. Trigga and his brother Smoothe Da Hustler take turns back and forth on this one. I like how they flipped the Hall & Oates chorus and the effortless transition from smooth singing to rough rappin', turning what could have been a corny track into a NY street anthem.

"I'm losin it, confusin it
Next level mentality to add on, take away reality, I'm usin it
But most don't agree with these tactics
They find MC's in the middle of four walls on their knees"

the nutty professor soundtrack was great because it was censored so there wasn't an EXPLICIT LYRICS thing on the front to scare my mum. the best thing on that CD was the clean version of Jay-Z's "Ain't No Nigga" because the censorship made it sound even filther in my mind than the proper version ever could.

Originally, Twista went by the name Tung Twista, and its pretty obvious why. The guy can ramble off words at a bewildering pace, supposedly he held the title for fastest rapper alive for a time. I bought this cd (Adrenaline Rush) in 97 due to the strength of the singles Emotions and Get It Wet. Obviously this was back when you bought a cd off the strength of one song, maybe two.

Anyway, first time this track came on (after the usual BS skit intro) I was hooked. The slightly screwed beat with that intense rolling bass line and high pitched melody is what first got me. But its the juxtaposition of Twista's rapid spit verses and Yungbuk's paranoid southern drawl thats got me enjoying this years later. I think Twista is at his best when he's rapping over slowed beats like this, he just kind of skates on top of it. Hes been crap for years, unfortunately, but for this album (and his next one with The Speedknot Mobstaz), he was on fire.

I love this hook.

"That's your adrenaline rush
like when a motherfu*er have to go pick up the pump
to make his opposition chest kick up and jump
when you lit up the gun to make your body get up and uhh
That's your adrenaline rush
like when a motherfu*er have to go pick up the pump
to make a trigger pick up and dump
so turn the bass, kick up and bump
and let the rhythm hit off the trunk"

Breezly Brewin is my favorite lyricist. Not really my favorite rapper (although quite good), but lyrically and conceptually, he is untouchable. There isn't much material to get from him, mainly one amazing (Clear Blue Skies) album that has gone in and out of print for years, a main roll on Prince Paul's hip-hopera opus concept album 'A Prince Among Thieves' and some random guest spots. A Prince Among Thieves is where I first heard him and I had to go back and search out this album. For anyone that loves deep and thoughtful lyricism that will entice you to return dozens of times for deciphering, this is your album.

This song is a stunning look at racism, specifically the effects of interracial relationships. Breez plays two characters, a father and his son, who are engaged in an argument over the sons black girlfriend. The vocals for his dads part were slowed and dropped an octave to differentiate a little.

"You sound like such an idiot
I pity it
I wonder, should I laugh or should I cry?
More than anything I want a reason why
All of a sudden, the blood in your vien flows with such vigor
Just because you choose to call another person ni&&er"

How could I NOT love this guy? An IRL genuine pimp (who raps) gets pulled off the streets by DJ Quik to rap over his beats, sounds like a winning formula to me. Street Gospel is the most underrated west coast 90's hip hop lp, and I hate the word underrated. His flow is extremely syncopated and weird, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite addicting. Might catch a second hand high from this one. Check out the song Tip Toe and Why You Bullshi*in if you like this.

I have no idea what ODB is on about in this track. That's probably why its so appropriate that he's featured on a track called hip hop drunkies. A couple of his verses are missing from this youtube clip unfortunately.The piano sample, ice clinging and drink pouring sounds give this an old western saloon romper feel.

"See this the type of shi* ni&&az don't try at home
I come funkin up the spot like Micheal Jordan's cologne"

It was between All Night, Hip Hop Drunkies and Only When Im Drunk. But really, like you said, pretty impossible. I'm already developing a love/hate relationship with this list. Probably should have just done 1,000 to cover all my bases. I would hope that the someone might get turned on to some of these artists by the tracks represented.

I love how Diamond D raps on the Next Level, not much of a rapper, but he tries.

Some of these would have made my list. I was pretty bummed that SpottieOttie made it, meaning I have to exclude my all time favorite song. UGK One Day is amazing too, would be in my top 25. Mobb Deep too obviously.

I didn't think anyone gave a shit about that song. It wasn't a single was it? It's probably my favourite Outkast song though. Completely original- a verse of soulful singing followed by two vivid spoken word verses with a massive trumpet solo inbetween each.

5 good rappers (well, maybe not Jada) taking turns giving their best 16 bars. Big Pun basically just sh sh sh shi* on all of ‘em. Rumor has it that Nas chose to go back and re-write his verse after he heard Puns. Its one of those tracks that sounds hard without being upbeat. Ski Beats on the production, same guy who did Curren$y’s Pilot Talk album this year, and all of Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night. The album that this was on was pretty weak, but the strength of this single led me to buy it anyway.

“Grand imperial college material insane criminal
The same ni**a who known to blow out your brain mineral
I reign subliminal inside your visual
Try to supply your physical with my spiritual side of this lyrical
I'll appear in your dreams, like Freddie do, no kidding you
Even if I stuttered I would still sh-sh-sh-shi* on you
Soon as I chitter chatter you shitter shatter, I'm the kid
out of Bronx, that'll stomp you to death like it didn't matter”

Whooooohp Whoooooohp... KRS rips this thing up and just lays into the pigs. I still make that sound in my head every time I see a cop, my wife had to tell me to stop a few years back, I guess it got a little annoying. KRS had six good albums in the 90's, three with Boogie Down Productions and three on his own. Blowe and MC's Act LIke They Dont Know are both right up there with this track, tough choice.

"Now here's a likkle truth
Open up your eye
While you're checking out the boom-bap, check the exercise
Take the word "overseer," like a sample
Repeat it very quickly in a crew for example
Overseer
Overseer
Overseer
Overseer
Officer, Officer, Officer, Officer!
Yeah, officer from overseer
You need a little clarity?
Check the similarity!
The overseer rode around the plantation
The officer is off patroling all the nation
The overseer could stop you what you're doing
The officer will pull you over just when he's pursuing
The overseer had the right to get ill
And if you fought back, the overseer had the right to kill
The officer has the right to arrest
And if you fight back they put a hole in your chest!
(Woop!) They both ride horses
After 400 years, I've _got_ no choices!
The police them have a little gun
So when I'm on the streets, I walk around with a bigger one
(Woop-woop!) I hear it all day
Just so they can run the light and be upon their way"

When I was 14-15, I was introduced to a ton of bay area (Oakland, San Francisco) underground rap. It was mainly due to my best friend's older brother, dude was a legitimate gang member. I knew little of him, but he starched his dickies and wore wife-beaters and Nike Cortez shoes. Dude was hard. He got locked up just before my senior year and I think he's going to be there for 15 more years. Anyway, he would always leave CD's for us to listen to, and thats how I got into a lot of this stuff.

This is a bay area smokers classic right here, and I don't even smoke. All self-produced with no label money. They later got signed to a big, but before the release, one of the two rappers was shot (9 times) and killed, on new years day.

"Pimps with limps, never known as simps
We smoke dank, not the bammer shit
Damn, that bammer ain't no good
You might as well smoke some rolled up wood"

Such a difficult choice. I can say that about most of these on this list, MOP had 14 tunes that I really like to pick from. The whole second album (Firing Squad) is pure heat, Premo at his best. These guys could rap over some nursery songs and it would still make me want to rip someones face off. I have strong love for their first three albums and of course Warriorz. When I first heard them in the 90's I was a little turned off, like wtf guys, quit yelling, its cool, chill. But sometimes you get that itch for some raw rugged hardcore, and there isn't a better place to turn to than MOP, so I found myself getting more interested in their stuff through the years.

Seriously though, you would own Firing Squad if you knew what was good for you.

Great pump up track. My college roommate from DC was a pretty good party DJ. This was his go to track, it took the dancing and vibe to another level every time he played it. When I started DJ'ing parties around 04-05, I would still use it, and the only track that got people up on a similar level was T.I.'s Bring Em Out. Lyrically, Whatcha Gonna Do is meh, but who cares, a banger's a banger.

"And all them crooked cops on the beat
My ni&&as bring the funk like your Grandpa feet"

Classic bass line. Tame One and El Da Sensei were one of the better hip hop duos to come from the 90's. I think Whayback might have been my choice song by them, but its not on youtube, so it made the choice easy.

"So bring submission to the rap recognition
My right hand is itchin from the shit that I'm scriptin"

"But I'ma make it cos something's steady urgin me
Five hours passed, I made it through surgery
And the doctor said I wouldn't make it through the night
But god told me everything is gonna be alright
And I'm glad that I'm here, gee
But it's fu*ked up I had to lose an eye to see shi* clearly"

Saw these guys live in 99 without any clue who they really were, just saw the headline "hip-hop concert" and was in. Amazing show, all hyped and intense. One of the better hip hop acts I've seen. This song has always been the standout for me. I bought As The World Burns on the spot.

"So what so MC's know that I go nuts cause I bring hernia pain
Female MC's always treat me like a vericose veins
Cause they don't want it
Plain and simple I break it down like enzymes
and still got lyrical microbiologists decodin my rhymes"

Classic New York hip hop storytelling. Hadn't heard of these guys until a few years back. There was so many good rap releases in the 90's, I still discover stuff all the time. The album this is off is called Realms n Reality, highly recommended.

I usually don't think of The Roots as a particularly hard group. But on their 3rd full length (Illadelph Halflife), with this one song, they brought some ferociousness. Their two releases (Game Theory, Rising Down) during Bush's 2nd term further stapled the point home; that they could go heavy if needed.

From the get, the beat slams in and never lets up, you can practically feel how hard Questlove is smashing the kick and snare. A pretty big sidestep from anything else they had done up to that point (imo). The verses continue the feeling, and deliver some great punchlines, directing all their venom at "clone" rappers. I love the video as well: baggy cargo pants, one leg up, oversized polos, Timbaland boots, strolling through the ghetto corners of Philly laying down hard raps. Looking like an episode of the Wire or something.

"Superstar ni&&az is ten percent real, ninety percent invented
for a fu**in record deal
Comin with somethin veterans can't feel
I hit you like a steel anvil
Because you grafted off the next man's skill
But still I remain mellow, seein the theatrics of Othello"

One of the more deft rappers from the West, maybe the most skilled from that side, in the 90's. Also, check out the song Nature of the Threat for an 8 minute walk through the history of racism in America (his version of it anyway)

"I was told two wrongs don't make a right
But three rights make a left
Act your age not your color
But I'd rather act darker
Mark a page with mazes of labyrinth
Fu** up a rhyme so bad
I leave the microphone abstinent"

Despite him clearly being a great MC. I really liked "Nature of the Threat" and that track that was like an update of "Dreams" by Biggie but his album was just boring. Really suffered from bad production. It's a shame.

These guys were superstars in the bay, the album 3rd Eye Vision dropped in 98. I had a Heiro hoody with the group logo on it and all. The group consists of Souls of Mischief (of 93 til Infinity fame) and Del the Funky Homosapien (of Gorillaz Clint Eastwood fame) and a few others (Casual and Pep Love being my favorite). I've probably heard this song over 500 times, and it still sounds great, the whole album does really. Del's voice is one of the most recognizable in all of music, and one of my favorites.

I started a thread on Mystikal a few weeks back, it was a big hit, I think Sean wanted to sticky it, but I declined. http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4269585 Anyway, I love the mans passion, and this here beat... FAUNKEE; like deep down stankin' southern fried pickled pigs feet funky. This is fighting music, Mystikal is extremely pissed at someone. DA MAN RIGHT CHEEEA.

Mystikal was the best thing to come from the No Limit Records family, and the only artist I can listen to from that label any more.

"Plus tricks that fixes styles through mixes
If you're soft, beginning to end, you can't win
Let the DJ freak pause then run it again
While you're listening to the hit, it's nice can't you tell
That the two are steady bringin till we swell"

"I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect
It's the principal of it, I get a rush when I bust
some dope lines oral, that maybe somebody'll quote
That's what I consider real, in this field of music
Instead of puttin brain cells to work they abuse it
Non-conceptual, non-exceptional
Everybody's either crime-related or sexual"

Premier on the beat and Mos Def hungry to prove himself = winning formula. Every line is quotable.

"I guess, Michael Jackson was right, "You Are Not Alone"
Rock your hardhat black cause you in the Terrordome
full of hard ni&&az, large ni&&az, dice tumblers
Young teens on prison greens facin life numbers
Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients
Young bloods can't spell but they could rock you in PlayStation
This new math is whippin motherfuck*ers ass
You wanna know how to rhyme you better learn how to add
It's mathematics"

I had this remix on a YO MTV Raps comp cd, so I have never heard the album the original is off of. The bass hits so clear on this track. I always love Canibus as a guest emcee.

"Cause none of you fools is capable
My lyrical 'll knock you on the floor like a mechanical bull
rhymes ricochet off the inner walls of my lungs
to past the tongue faster then bullets come out of guns
who wants to be the one to get struck first
I bury they body on any planet except the earth
I rip up, swell your lip up, it's a stick up
Make put your hands up on your head like you was doin sit-ups"

Ice Cube was great when he had something to say, here he tells the tail of a thug who comes up, gets in the game, gets busted, and then tries to figure out what to do after he gets out. Cube was probably a little racist towards whites for his first three albums (and NWA before that), but it made for some extremely poignant and confrontational raps. When he leaned more towards party music later, I was a little disgruntled, not because it wasn't good (Bop Gun), but because there really wasn't that many hard core rappers provoking thought to say in the west, and he was the best at it. http://kenwoode.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/cube01.jpg <-lulz

"Talkin' 'bout education to battle inflashion
No college degree, just a dumb ass G
(Yeah you Ni&&a, who me?)
I got a baby on the way, damn it's a mess
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Yes
Took some advice from my Uncle Fester
All dressed up in polyester
Welcome to McDonalds may I please help you?
sh*t, what can I do?"

The angriest man in the world. I'd probably pick "A Bird in the Hand" as my favourite. Same kind of subject as "What Can I Do?" but he tells it really clearly. Plus he gets the quality bird/Bush pun in there.

Domino had this song and Ghetto Jam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvuue9NVKrU floating on the radio about the same time. I hadn't heard these for years (at least 10) but they have held up. All I have ever known was the edited radio versions. Kinda funny to hear how raunchy they are. Domino went on to produce for Heiroglyphics. Both these songs are smooooth.

In which Busta Rhymes came blasting on the scene and made a name for himself. A perfect track.

"As I did it yo I had to beg your pardon
When I travel to the Sun I roll with the squadron
RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW like a dungeon dragon
Change your little drawers cause your pants are saggin
Try to step to this, I will twist you in a turban
And have u smelling rank, like some old stale urine"

as well as 90's era Busta. I dont think he ever made the classic album he was meant to. The first was close and there were amazing parts of his next few, but just never quite got there for a full album. Granted, thats pretty hard to do for any rapper.

Anyone that likes El-p should own and love Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus. It was El-p's first group. I rate this album slightly higher than Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein. Although both are near perfect.

"But sabotaging me ain't easy
I'm crooked like nathan wick starring as cochese
With a big baseball bat you get robbed like deniro
A sandwich still ain't nothing but a hero
Just a small sample of the abstract
When the rhyme gets crazy hot and lyrics don't know how to act"

I cant sit here and pretend that I didnt/dont have strong feelings for this song. Growing upon the west coast you kind of had to get caught up in the east/west feud. I had friends that would refuse to listen to anything east coast, but I rode the fence and enjoyed the digs, from both sides. I felt some pride with this one though, Ice Cube's verse is pure, just one-liner after one-liner. That beat is a mans beat that'll eat your speakers alive. You'll feel 12% more like a bad-ass after it's over.

"Fo the cheese we want them keys
Everybody freeze on ya knees BUTT NEKKED PLEEEASE
Before any of you guppies get heart
Ni&&a, rewind my part and....BOW DOWN"

Completely under-rated and under-appreciated hard core group. All the Onyx albums are great. They're like a pack of pit-bulls that haven't eaten in days, and the mic is their food. Violence and rap are always a good combination, especially when delivered with this much intensity.

"I’ve had mad money, but I spend it, now I’m broke
So I’m searching for somebody to put in a choke hold
And I can wet to wrap my bay hands around they neck
And SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE until I fu*kin’ strangle ’em to death"

I love Organized Noize, I hold them up on the same pedestal as Premier, Quik, Pete Rock, Prince Paul, Large Pro, Dilla, etc. They mastered the 90's southern rap sound and are responsible for a fair share of Outkast's success. This song thumps, the bass pulse is ridiculous, and all the Dungeon Family all-stars take turns over it. Sometimes rhyming with psychotic speed (Cee Lo, BIG BOI) and sometimes with slowed precision (Cool Breeze, Whitchdoctor). It makes for a nice balance.

"Ay, my one's and my two's got your whole town shook
You betta listen to your corner, and watch for the hook"

This is perfection isn't it? Should probably be top ten, idk. One of the best albums all time ever, own it or die.

"Rarrrrrgh!
You will now consider me the apocalyptic one
After this rhyme, henceforth, there is none
No more will exist, when I emerge
From the mist in whence I was born into, scorned
Most of you can`t even comprehend what I am saying
to you even in my human form the message I`m relaying"

not his best album but i think his first to feature rappers and it's got some great cuts on it, the Kool Keith track, I'm Seeing Objects is interesting too...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXLH_lcCcu0most of it's weird, effects driven instrumental hip-hop, pretty cool but on that album nothing *that* extraordinary. Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and his 1999 collaborative 10"s are tho, i think,

A little personal classic of mine. Off the album with arguably the best/worst album cover of all time: http://tinyurl.com/2444jek All Devin raps about is women, weed and being lazy, seriously... thats it. He's like 6 albums deep and still hasn't switched it up. He floats in and out of singing and rapping with ease. I may be in the minority with my Devin The Dude love, but I think he's great, his work in the early 00's is exceptional as well.

"Tryin to survive, tryin to get high, tryin to get by and stay alive
So (Do it till ya satisfied) Not just a lil bit
Dont wait until ya eighty and start sayin what you couldda did"

it feels really weird to say that Devin is phoning it in nowadays - how could he get any lazier? i've not been checking for his stuff lately. i wish Z-Ro would make a whole Rother Vandross record, might fill the void a little.

"Rother Vandross" is his singing alias or something. i think he was threatening to make a record of just singing a while back. there might actually be a mixtape, stuff happens too quickly in the Texas rap scene for me to follow.

"King Of The Ghetto" is great, it has this on it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JitHcPb4R2wall Z-Ro is worth a go though. i really liked the "Relvis Presley" mixtape he did, it's a one-take freestyle for the whole CD, slowed down like a Screw tape.

the prospect of an all singing lp sounds sweet. Texas is like a little world of its own within the rap scene, its like there's south rap... and then there's Texas (mainly Houston) rap. A tight knit community with too many releases and mixtapes that get zero exposure.

If you love Illmatic, then there's no reason not to have Doe or Die by AZ. Its the little brother to Illmatic. Mafioso raps.

"Yo, in a mahogany, black scenery
That was lightin and rain drops
I'm tied up in the basement cocaine spot, like Bangkok
I'm blindfold
Vietnam type mind controless torture
His accent sounds like the rarest culture"

For being the only guest on one of the most famous hip hop records ever, dude is still strangely underrated. He's coming out with like, a sequel or something to that album, I'm not sure what it is but it has this track on it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8gaYG5R6YMpretty excellent

"1. Never talk on the phone in ya house
2. Never slang dope out ya baby momma's house
3. Never fu*k with snitches
Cause ni&&as that talk to the police is bi*ches
4. Keep a low key
And if you movin weight
Treat yo'self to an uzi
The first hit for free (damn)
But the next time you see me
You betta have twenty G
5. Never pay
Pimp hoes for the pu$$y
That's the 'Merican way
Clean up ya dirty money to good money
Cause legal money last longer than drug money."

This came out a month before my high school graduation, we played it to death. Slick Rick's voice and delivery is one of my all time favorites. Without Rick, there is no Snoop. The really famous song Lodi Dodi by Snoop was a Slick Rick cover.

"La-Di-Da-Di, we like to party
Don't make me get money and platinumize my body
With bright stuff, known to earn a dyke's love
Blind folks be like, "Somebody turn the lights off"

"I tried to talk and tell tham chill I did nothing to deserve
this But when it didn't work I wasn't scared just real
nervous and unprepared to deal with scrappin' no doubt
cuz my pappy never told me how to knock a ni&&a out"

I can't think of any group that was more perfect for me to have listened to in high school. I totally related to these guys, being a totally insecure dork who compensated for it with excessive goofy humor. Perfect mix of silliness and sincerity. There's really no one else like them, shame a lot of those guys lost their way.

So much stuff I havent heard of, thanks for introducing. Loving 'Wutcha Want' by Nine and the Jayo Felony track at the minute. I've got a lot of listening to do over Christmas now! I'd echo what someone else said up there about starting a blog or something, so much great stuff here.

Nah, not really, I have loads. Alright, I have to finish my personal site first, then I'll get on it. Hopefully the beginning of the year. I need to figure out exactly what angle to take on it too. Song a day? Album a week? IDK, there's lots of blogs out there, pretty hard to have a unique enough voice to get people coming back consistently.

hadn't actually got round to listening to Arsonists until you mentioned them above, but having listened to it since As the World Burns is such a good album. Also, I'm presuming "The Nonce" doesn't mean the same thing in the States as it does here

A quick two minute blast of pulsing bass and swelling strings (courtesy of Hitchcock's 'Psycho' soundtrack). Busta is rhyming mostly braggadocios nonsense, but he just vocally prances all over this beat, I can't picture anyone else on it. And that weird spoken word intro is awesome as well. Choosing between this and Whoo Hah and Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See was tough.

"Flash with a rash gimme my cash flickin my ash
Runnin' with my money son go out with a blast"

"Cuz everybody's got a different way of endin' it
And when your number comes for service then they send it in
Now your time has arrived for the final touch
I see the fear in your eyes and hear your final breath"

In a previous post on another thread, I stated that no one raps about cars like UGK. Lets include 8Ball and MJG in that conversation shall we. Had this on a Suave House comp in 97. If you like the South sound, these guys were some of the first to do it, they are legends down there.

"My candy coated paint will bring flavors to your mind
and in the summertime we got the whole block blind
some busta in a primed out Pinto poppin game
lying sayin he goin get the same thang
if you ain't ridin wood, and leather, your ride ain't hittin
a plane dash for a crush, forever got you itchin
99.95, 30 day paint jobs
got ni**az ridin round lookin like a junk yard
you need to pull a check, wheeler check, wheeler check
stack up on your grip, get your shi* sprayed wet
see most of these new paint jobs they dont do
but if it ain't candy then the job ain't true"

I've got a massive man-crush on Redman tho, always have. He's like bacon, he makes everything better. I remember my friends being like "THEY SOLD OUT!" Haha, fools. Redman just knows how to have fun and do it right, its infectious, just ask Meth.

The master behind Main Source and tons of other classics (including Tribe) goes solo. This record didn't see a proper release until last year(!) and man was I glad it did. Blast it with the windows down, let the opening sax envelope your soul, and feel the natural high.

"So record company man, please give me a push
So I can swing to higher levels of life like a kids and wife" <- Old man raps FTW.

The lack of Pras, accompanied by the inclusion of Omega (1st verse) and John Forte (last verse) on this song automatically bumps it at least 12 notches. Clef is on a paranoia trip here, especially when he comes back after the first hook. Dude sounds possessed, he cant even bother slowing down for the beat. Then L-boogy comes through and settles the score:

"My circle it can't be broken
Open, cut-throatin', provokin'
Record promotin, tokens chokin' on they words like smoke and.
Cause we soft spoken, doesn't mean that we've forgotten
Your bootie smells rotten and one day you will be gotten
See joker's is scatter-brained, their focus is unrestrained
My army is trained, you never find us beefin' in vain.
Cause I've seen fire and I've seen rain
You claim fame, while modest ni**as remain."

I listened to it pretty much constantly when it first came out. Don't listen to it anywhere near as much any more but it'll always be a special album. Ready or Not is probably my standout. I really liked that track with the Diamond D verse on it as well though.

Cappadonna has one of those "drop the mic" moments. He just goes lights out and takes over the last half of the track. U-God and Masta Killa put in some nice work here as well, and of course Ghostface. That first batch of Wu releases are/were so good.

"See my face on the twenty dollar bill
Cash it in, and get ten dollars back
The fat LP with Cappachino on the wax
Pass it in your think, put valve up to twelve
Put all the other LP's back on the shelf"

Huurrrrriicaaaaaaaaaaane... but you can call me slurrricaaaaane.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=slurricaneA whole song based on a drink?! E-40 is a legend, his 90's output is full of good times, the glasses have got to go though. His voice/flow might take time for me to get used to, but no one on earth can duplicate that sound.

"I can't wait until they mix me
I'm goin in they mouth,down they throat,into they kidney's
Hurricane havin muthafu*ka's seein thangs
Courage juice, watch when I get loose"

No need for a chorus here.
No need for an expensive video.
No need for propriety.
No need for conventional wordplay; just take that dictionary of yours and flip it on its side, and watch me piss on the binding.

These brothers just keep coming with the punchlines, beating the listener down, never letting up. If you are looking for feel good raps, look elsewhere.

Also... whoda thunk that one of the happiest sounding songs of all time (Build Me Up Buttercup) could be chopped to sound so sinister?

Rumor has it that this was originally a Kurupt song that Pac heard, wanted and paid Kurupt to get. So he added his verse and deleted the original final verse by Inspectah Deck, thinking that the song would be too long. You can still hear Deck make his intro at the end but then nothing. Its a weird choice to cut that out, but you can still find his verse floating around on youtube.

Thats not to distract from how great this track is. I'm sure 2pac saw the lineup and heard those verses and realized he needed to bring one of his better verses. He brings it for sure, as does everyone else featured.

On a side note. I think 2pac is simultaneously one of the most underrated and overrated rappers. Anyone claiming he is the OMG BEST EVER is clearly mad, but because of all those idiots, I think people that might actually like him (or at least some tracks), have been turned off of him. Me Against The World is a fantastic lp as is All Eyes On Me. MATW is his strongest lyrically (So Many Tears just barely missed this list) and AEOM is a heavy dose of west coast arrogant party music. "A critical re-evaluation of 2pac" probably needs a thread of its own at some point down the road.

"Opposed to laughing, raw maniacal villian
Laughter enhances the chances of the killing
Why is that? 'cause smiling faces deceive
You best believe, to MC's I'm the deadliest disease
My thoughts rip your throat and make it hard to breathe
your whole camp's under seige, and I'm Jason Vorhees
In the heat of the night is when I defeat and ignite mikes
My verbal snipe, your vocab on site"

In my youth I was pretty obsessed with his music. I remember reading a HHC best MCs list and couldn't believe that Rakim and KRS One were top and 2Pac was only 20th.

As I grew up I decided I'd just bought into the hype and he was actually totally shit. A few years later I went back and listened to all the 2Pac albums I used to love and realised they were actually pretty special. Nowhere near best ever though.

I switched up my choice on this last minute, and its been the toughest call so far on the list. I had; The World is a Ghetto, It Aint, Six Feet Deep and this one all vying for a high spot, and all are worthy. You know I had to go the way of the horns.

"What a motherfu*kin pity
Momma couldn't afford milk so we had to suck her titty
In the kitchen every night I would see
Rats and roaches eatin better than me"

Ah, Craig Mack, that poor poor man, timing just wasn't on his side. Signed by Puff to Bad Boy Records, his record dropped one week after Biggy's first lp, Ready To Die. Guess which end of the totem pole he ended up on. Its only natural that his most famous (and best) song gets remixed featuring break out performances by Biggy and Busta.

At the end of this track, when they start to give shout outs to different cities, he had also done a ton of different re-mixes to give shouts to all the cities up and down the bay area. One of those remixes included my home city, that was some smart marketing as every radio dj for miles around had a version with their very own big-up.

There's something about his delicate delivery I always loved. And how could you not dig that video? I really want one of those glittery Players Club hats now.

always seemed weird to me that Chicago groups had more in common with the South than either coast to the point where Do Or Die were on Rap-A-Lot and Twista's style was really close to Memphis stuff like Three 6 Mafia.

but then i suppose even Curtis Mayfield had a lot more in common with Memphis soul than he did with Motown so it must be a continuation of that...

Heltah Skeltah's 'Nocturnal' is a personal classic album of mine. This song put the duo of Ruck (Sean Price) and Rock on the map. Rock has such a deep gravely voice and he really drags it out and gets such a unique flow. And Sean Price is quick with the whit, still is to this day, he's made a nice transition into his later career unlike a lot of rappers on this list. Check out Letha Brainz Blo and Therapy too, all classic material from this album.

"Eh yo next to snap a neck be big r-o-c-k
Send mc’s to me in squads of three say
Rockness monsta, is he for real? it can’t be
See him in action as he transform that man’s me"

I've been listening to that and Blah around twice a day, seriously; I hadn't known of the whole Boot Camp thing before, which albums would you recommend beyond Nocturnal? the internet seems to tell me the first Black Moon but I'd love a second/further opinion

The ingredients shouldn't work, the whole affair could have easily come off extremely corny: hard core west coast gangster rappers make a sleazy song about "playing house" while some annoying broad warbles about on the hook. So what makes it successful? The secret ingredient (of course) is Nate Dogg, he takes the cheese and sleaze on display here, and equalizes it with that composed baritone of his, automatically turning this song into a respectable hood-rat anthem. Out of all the songs on this list, I have probably listened to this one the most. The bass is nice too.

"I know you know this girl by the name of Danielle
Body of a Goddess face from hell"

The rest of the list is great but this track is apalling. They're trying to make something like "Ain't No Fun Part II" but the song is just a mess. "You can be the momma...I'll be the daddy"- that just makes me cringe!

"I used to say 'fu*k mic skills,' and never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti
That's right it's wicked, that's life I live it
Ain't asking for forgiveness for my sins, endz
I break bread with the late heads, picking their brains for angles on
all the evils that the game'll do
It gets dangerous, money and power is changing us
And now we're lethal, infected with D'Evils..."

in a lot of ways I feel like he deserves it. What I don't like about it, though, is how his gargantuan massiveness nowadays makes everyone forget just how bloody great his first album was.
I mean, did you see the tracklist to his recent best-off?!

really just holding out for Jeru the Damaja, he quite simply has to pop up.
also:
Nas - most definitely
Black Sheep - the choice is yours; hard to ignore.
KRS-One
Big L
Really 'eye know' by de la soul should be number 1 but theyve already featured haven't they.

stuff i'd like to see but less certain of seeing:
Prince Rakeem - Oooh, we Love you Rakeem
Crooklyn Dodgers - return of (one with oc, chubb rock and jeru)
skee-lo - I wish (come on man you know its a banger)

I re-bought Reachin' about 3 months ago at a yard sale for a buck, I lost it years ago. I'd forgotten how good the production is, the bass is cranked in the mix, and it just rolls like butter. If you like your rap jazzy, this lp is the blueprint. Rebirth of Slick is great and i still hear it on commercials and radio, but Nickel Bags was always my favorite. They do a stellar job of dropping you right into this hazy world of weed, beatniks and street life.

"The sounds, the pounds, the stacks, the flair
The baggy baggy jeans, the notty notty hair
The twinkle in the eye, the kids that livin' fly
The crew from the sky, the stuff that gets you high
The action, the work for the rhyme"
We goes the whole nine"

are you a Shabazz Palaces fan btw? it's Butterfly from Digable Planets and some other guys. it's pretty great, i think. their s/t is mebbe my rap lp of the year, along with Pilot Talk per'aps.
you've prolly heard them, but if not http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTMq3KdpzRY

RZA sounds like he's trippin on his verse, which is a perfect as its told from the mind of some junkies. Who doesn't love some Gravediggaz? Prince Paul is a mad genius, how many guys could pull off the switch from lighthearted rap (De La Soul) to horror-core and pull them both off with ease? All the beats on 6 Feet Deep are sinister and demented. Awesome album.

"Wanna see something that could make ya sick?
Stand in front of jets on the gaza strip
I used to take puffs from a car, jet in my garage
Then I get blitzed from the charge
I felt my head swayin, my eyes in a daze
Felt and violence and off balance I got drugged for days"

This song gets my blood fully cooked. Its got that signature Dr Dre bass-line, bouncy drums and sparse piano that grab you from the get. I heard this song one time and immediately went and bought Capital Punishment, and its been one of my favorite albums ever since. Pun is amazing. Theres about 6 songs on that lp that could have been on this list easily.

"Ready for war Joe, how you wanna blow they spot
I know these dirty cops that'll get us in if we murder some wop
Hop in your Hummer, the Punisher's ready; meet me at Vito's
with Noodles, we'll do this dude while he's slurping spaghetti
Everybody kiss the fu*king floor, Joey Crack, buck em all
If they move, Noodles shoot that fu*king whore
Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know
that we riddled some middleman who didn't do diddily"

Gyeeeeeeeeeah. Just a song for swervin' in your '64. I love the restraint in his delivery, dragging the last syllable of each bar until the last... possible... second. Eiht is a genuine OG. Lets not sleep on the sample source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUvMno-Jhg <- thats a jam right there

"Now I lay low in the cut
Label me the ni&&a with the fu*king gangsta strut
Every hooptie got gold license plates
my birds fly out throughout the fu*king states
Now my other half is telling me I'd better quit
But I ain't through in this sh*t, so I guess this is it
I'll be dead before I go out like a dummy
(Why's that, G?)... Cause it's all for the money"

Every track follows the same formula but it always sounds great- start every verse with "Chiggeddy chhhhheea...", make it sound like you're having to work hard to squeeze every word out of your mouth, make sure everyone knows how close they are to getting shot. I love it.

Everything about this is epic (for lack of a better word). Listen and watch though, its absolutely massive. Such a huge production from front to back, all so this up-and-coming rapper could blast LL Cool J publicly. You've got iron Mike Tyson(!) used as the hype man/coach. He starts it off with a little spoken word bit about how Canibus needs to bring his A game to the plate, and how he needs to eat eat eat eat emcees for breakfast lunch and dinner, he's the perfect bookend for this track. The beat starts off with a an extremely low simple three note bass-line, but builds from there with some light shuffling shakers, and a crackin' kick and snare. The choral chanting is how the backing track gets into the "epic" category; it starts soft but gains steam as the track goes on, and when the beat drops out for the most poignant verbal stabs, the only thing there is those voices... getting louder and louder.

Lyrically; it's like Canibus was born to write this song, and nothing more. He leaves nothing on the table, completely exposes LL to the world, and calls him out for all his whack-juice-ness. His voice is possessed, his breath control perfect and each bar hits with more weight than the previous. You can practically feel the destain through the speakers.

If you dont know the story... in short: LL Cool J had a (really good) song called 4,3,2,1 prior to this, in which he enlisted Meth, Red, DMX and Canibus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6rJava11i0 LL took exception to a line by Canibus about his mic tattoo. So after he heard Canibus' verse, he went and re-did his (last verse) to diss Canibus. Canibus never saw it coming and only heard it after it was out. So to hype his new record, Canibus struck back for his first single with Second Round K.O. And here's LL Cool J's re-retaliation called Ripper Strikes Back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYJ0QhIPEw

So I had this long layover in the Las Vegas airport about 6 years back. I went to get some food and ended up sitting next to Xzibit to eat. We had a 20 minute lunch together and discussed a number of topics from MTV Cribs to his life in general. I told him I really liked his first 2 albums and that What U See... was one of my favorite rap songs/videos ever (check the Flava Flav/Alkaholiks/King Tee cameos). He was a genuine dude and seemed really grounded. He was appreciative and a little surprised that I knew him beyond MTV Cribs, and had been since the late 90s. It was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities and somehow I kept my star-struckedness in check.

Cant tell you how many times I made out to this track... you know, back when people actually made out and didn't just go straight for the bone smuggle. This is one of those west coast beats I will never tire of, its impossible to keep your head still. I only requested one song at my senior prom, this was it.

"Bounce... rock... roll... and skating
Dipping down the street on platinum daytons"

Funkadelic on the backing track, sign me up. Too $hort always loved live instrumentation on his records, specifically the bass-lines. Cocktails (which this track is not on) is still one of the best sounding rap albums I own, and all his albums rumble the trunk relentlessly. That little ascending bass-line into the sax gets me every time. And of course, that breakdown... so perfect, just some rumbling bass and the sax soloing in the background. Its got all the qualifiers for a perfect song in my book. Every lyric and nuance memorized? Natch

Too $hort always knew how to keep it light, whether he was rappin about pimpin, street life or politics, he always came off like a normal dude (well hung of course). You'll never get that feeling like he's using bigger words than he knows because his vocabulary and rhyme style are as bare bones as they come. Its one of the main reasons I like his music so much, its just straight up beats and rhymes. This song was supposed to be his nod off to the rap-game, the last single off his "last album." He puts the mackin' aside for a minute to impart his whole knowledge base of how to get what you want in life, and you are guaranteed to come out feeling motivated.

"I hope you get the message, no it's not a test it's
Just me ridin legit, they can't arrest me or bust me
I'm still hungry, I want some more stuff
Get fat and watch my whole crew blow up
So get yours, and buy my new album
Peep the game and don't be like Calvin
Get everything you want, get real, get you mail
Get your girl to make bail and get your ass out of jail"

early Too $hort is classic stuff, dont bother with anything after Gettin It. And even that album is shaky on a whole, but of course has some gold. I would just say get everything from Born to Mack through Gettin It, but thats 7 lp's! So to narrow it down, I would swoop up Life Is... Too $hort as it is an absolute must have. Then Get In Where You Fit In next, then Cocktails, for the sound alone. Most would argue that Short Dogs In The House is better than Cocktails but whatever. He gets pretty nasty is his rhymes (always funny though) so be warned, you probably wont want to listen with your mom/gfriend/wife.

As a side note, this is the guy that basically started mixtapes, he used to sell them right out of his trunk and built up a huge west coast following that way. He rarely gets much love outside of the west, but those that know be knowin'.

This is the best thread I've seen on the music board -- I've spent all morning going through these songs. Some classics I've known for years, others are great new discoveries. Nice little descriptions with each track too!

I studied graphic design in college and a major point of emphasis I frequently ponder is that you need to know the fundamental rules of design, so you can then know how to break them. Jeru is a master of lyricism and really has an unorthodox way of rapping. He can break the rules and get away with it. He almost comes off as more of a poet than a rapper (check the last verse here). He takes his bars and delivers them differently than anyone else; stretching out untimely syllables, not rhyming, emphasizing a word in the middle of a bar rather than waiting for the end and breaking the flow completely just to finish a point.

It took some getting used to when I first heard him floating around on Gang Starr releases. Once I realized what a wordsmith he was, well... I couldn't stop the prophet.

Lets not leave the other half of the equation out of this, DJ Premier produced both of Jeru's first 2 Lp's. These beats are to be treasured, they are the blueprint for 90's boom bap, they just don't get better; Come Clean, D Original, Jungle Music, Ya Playin Yourself, Cant Stop the Prophet and Me Vs The Papes are all perfection. These two made wonderful music together, and as soon as they parted ways, it was no surprise that Jeru's career took a nose dive.

Anyways, this tune, I love it, just my personal favorite from all the ones named above. Let the man preach, listen to this over and over, feel it... he obviously is.

"But you might die if you bail against the system
Another ni&&a caught up in the system
To amend my invisible chains and deviate from the system
No longer shall I be a victim
Victimized, circumsized by the lies of the system
It's equivalent to being non-exisent"

to surprise me. Jeru is my all-time favourite and I've been routing for him since the conception of this thread. Yet somehow I always slept on this one track, something about it never clicked, I would usually skip it so Wrath could start with the 1-2 punch of Black Cowboys and The Bullshit. But now, I can;'t see why for the life of me I ignored this.

"Wanna talk girls, you can't follow this
I been through more skins than the average dermatologist...

I don't stutter, I'm so butter, like no other
Word, I'm that funky type of soul brother
I get stupid, but I'm dumb wise, I'm one guy
That can rock a party from night until sunrise
You can't mess with the rap lord
That's like sayin you can dunk when you can't touch the backboard"

If you sit and try and dissect Snoop's lyrics, you're doing it all wrong. With Snoop, its ALL about the flow and the voice. For his first couple records, he sounded great, where I think he went wrong is when he started using overdubs and vocal layering. It mades his natural smoovness more synthetic, and was/is flat out irritating. I have a hard time with most anything he is on nowadays for that reason. This is G-funk at its finest; they done went and got the Dramatics for the hook! Kurupt bringing his usual amount of filth and Daz sounding better than ever. This is also my favorite hip hop video of all time, I always watch and listen all the way until the end as The Dramatics take over the last minute or so.

"Ya know, some of these ni&&az is so deceptive
Usin my styles like a contraceptive
I hope ya get burnt, it seems ya havn't learnt
It's the nick nack patty wack, I still got the biggest sack"

Your favorite rappers favorite rapper. Pretty much anyone of notoriety in the NY hard rap scene owes their style to G Rap; Biggy, Nas, Big L, Jay Z, Boot Camp, etc. He is argued to be the most technically gifted rapper of all time, and its hard to dispute. He floats in and out of double timing like no one, and his breath control is perfection. It was between this song and Ill Street Blues, the drums in this edge it for me.

"It seems like only yesterday, my moms was on my back
"Get your butt up out the sack and find a job or hit the road Jack"
Black, I don't disown her, I'm just a kid from Corona
with a G.E.D. diploma, with more ribs showin than Tony Rhoma's
In order to get straight, I gotsta to make a muscle
Learned to hustle and bustle and I gave the streets a tussle"

I love the use of acoustic guitar harmonics on this, the beat is layered brilliantly with all kinds of guitar and keys.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me you eardrums
it was a beautiful day off in the neighborhood
Yellows and greens and blues and browns
and greys and hues that ooze beneath dilapidated wood
Ain't a thing could explain but what pertains
to cocaine & sustaining rain"

Clean ass beat, bad ass rhymes. I could listen to Infamous and Hell on Earth all day everyday. These guys weren't really doing anything new in the scene, but they just captured a sound that was completely unique within it. The drums crack, the record crackles and the bass lines roll. Any time a Mobb Deep cut comes on, I listen, I never skip it, no group or artist makes me feel like more of a bad ass. Yah sure, MOP and Onyx create a similar feeling, but those guys are way beyond pissed and tend to yell, Mobb Deep are always calm and collected, but come off just as intense somehow. They craft the kind of music that makes you want to put away the good life, and begin jacking cars and doing hood-rat stuff with your friends.

"With no time for patient, or complication
Let's get it done right, my click airtight
Trapped in a never ending gunfight so ni&&az lose stripes
Or lose life, jail ni&&az sendin kites to the street
Over some beef that wasn't fully cooked, finish em off
Well done meat, that said twenty-two slug to your head
Travel all the way down to your leg"

Tough call between the Q-Tip produced 94 version or the DJ Premier produced 95 version. Both found on Spike Lee movie soundtracks, both are class. Jeru's final verse on the newer version just tips the scale.

"Subliminal hypnotism
And colonialism
Leaves most ni&&as
Dead or in prison

In crookland, right hand
Cuts off the left hand
To spite the hand
Jealous of the next man

So violent crimes, black on black
Plus mad crack to boot
Everybody can't rap
So most hustle and shoot
Make money, money
Get money, take money
I can't understand that concept
Cause jah rules everything around me"

If you don't have some speakers or cans with some power, don't even bother with this track. If you do... then get your ears ready for a royal pounding. What a great intro, it preps you perfectly and builds anticipation, you just know something hug is coming. Every person that had a substantial system had this on a cd to show that system off. The way the bass moves is mind-numbing, my ears literally shift backwards on my head when that bass rolls off. Don't know much about the words, something about a one night stand, the first verse sounds cool, and I think a girl raps or something, doesn't matter really, this is all about aural pleasures.

But I think I'd agree. I got a bit obsessed with Three 6 Mafia when "Sippin on Syrup" came out. I heard this track and bought "The End" on the back of it (wonder how many other copies of that there are in the UK). The album is actually ok- technically they're pretty fucking shite but they've definitely got an X-factor when you just want to hear something different.

Speaking of the lyrics on here- I think this is the only rap track I've ever heard when the rapper actually mentions that they're into cocaine ("hit the liquor store before it close/ call Chris so I can get something white to go up in my nose / now I'm feelin fine..."). Always struck me as weird that it's such a taboo when nothing else really is.

When Guru died last year, I was pretty taken back. I was at an impressionable age when Cobain passed (and a Nirvana fan), but I really didn't care. I haven't really cared about any musicians passing, not beyond the point of "well... that sucks." But with Guru, it was sad to me, especially the way it went down, horrible stuff.

Guru has that unflappable voice, that slick monotone, it was his biggest weapon. He just seems like a normal guy; not a gangster, not a nerd, just a straight up man rapping about life. Match that up with DJ Premier and you have one of the greatest one two punches in rap history. Everyone probably has a different favorite Gang Starr track, this one has always been mine. Since his death it has seemed even more fitting. Premier knows how to set the stage with that intro, and those gorgeous strings, and of course those epitomized Premier drums. Its just so good, all of it, beautiful.

"Heed the words; it's like ghetto style proverbs
The righteous pay a sacrifice to get what they deserve
Cannot afford to be confined to a cell
Brainwaves swell, turnin a desert to a well
Experience the best teacher; thoughts will spray
like street sweepers Little Daddy street preacher "

"See some don't realize the power of lyrics
'cause when you rap about death you talkin' to spirits
You see you can say the things that can help us all ball
or you can say things that make it bad for us all
fix the problem the only way is come to the source
don't be a Trojan Horse, help us change the course"

Everyone in the world should own Illmatic. It's the blueprint for a perfect rap album. I've had many extended conversations about this album over the years, and the one thing that stays consistent, is that no one can agree on the best track. It just turns into "what about that verse on The World is Yours" or "yah but the horns and bass-line on Halftime" or "c'mon...Life's a Bitch is the greatest hook of all time, and Nas' second verse..." etc. It is that transcendent rap album that everyone can agree on, for good reason.

"Rappers I monkey flip em with the funky rhythm I be kickin
Musician, inflictin composition
of pain I'm like Scarface sniffin cocaine
Holdin a M-16, see with the pen I'm extreme, now
Bulletholes left in my peepholes
I'm suited up in street clothes
Hand me a nine and I'll defeat foes"

It's #1 on the list of hip-hop albums you need to get if you're into hip-hop.

For what it's worth, I'd go with the horn and bass-line on Half-Time". Especially that bass- it's beautiful. Also because of "My name is Nas, I'm not you're legal type of feller/ Moet drinking, marijuana smoking street dweller".

I bought the I Got The Hook-Up soundtrack in '98, and hadn't really rated UGK until then. My favorite song off that was UGK's Bump & Grill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMf-yGC5cB4 Which led me to go backwards into their catalog. Up til that point I was too busy with all the No Limit releases to look a few miles over at the Texas rap scene. I wish I would have thrown my money that way back then because UGK has aged perfectly, and I have since sold off all my No Limit stuff.

Their southern drawls are so thick and the beats so funky. They knew how to craft music for the systems, everything they did slams while being laced with loads of sonic textures. A treat to listen to all the way around. They got a late career bump with Big Pimpin and more recently Intl PLayers Anthem. For anyone that has only skimmed the surface; I would implore to get their ears on UGK's 90s output, its all pure gold, ALL of it.

"Ni&&as frown when you up, smile when you down
And when you change for the better shife fools stop comin' around
I see the jealousy and hate'n and the wicked ways
We all lost children, pray for papers, smokin' our lives away
Got to the point where I could not decipher day from night
She say she love me but all we do now is fu*kin' fight
My conscience fu*k with me so much I can't eat or sleep
The other side is sellin' dope and out there runnin' the streets"

The first time I heard 36 Chambers I had no idea what was going on. All the weird beats with filthy sounding production with what seemed like 30 extremely mad thugs (except GZA) rapping about swords and chess and spiky bats and Gods and snakes and torture and tiger styles and "the Shaolin" and CREAM and killa bees and a heavy dose of martial arts nonsense. They basically took all the nerd culture and made it cooler than anything on earth. I know all I wanted to do after hearing this a few times was play a game of chess and sign up for a karate class.

I think U-God sounds amazing on this track, and Masta Killa has a nice turn. Everyone involved is in good form, but it's ODB and his nonsensical ways that get me every time. How about that intro for Ghostface "INTRODUCING THE GHOST.....FACE.. KILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA"

"Homicide's illegal and death is the penalty
What justifies the homicide, when he dies?
In his own iniquity it's the
Master of the Mantis Rapture coming at you
We have an APB on an MC Killer
Looks like the work of a Master"

Great choice. Masta Killa's verse is one of my all-time favourite Wu verses, and I love the U-God's delivery at the start- "Rawww I'm a give it to ya, with no trivia, raw like cocaine straight from Bolivia" is such a good line. Shame he wasnt on this album more- not that it really needed any improvement.

I went and bought Forever at midnight of the drop date, thats the only entertainment I've ever done anything like that for. That simple pounding 4 note bass-line is special, but Mystery of Chessboxin just has that quality vintage Wu feel to it.

It's like he only takes one shot at it and if he doesn't get it right, it's all the better for it. Like what is he saying before that Beetle Baily line? I've no clue, just stops mid word and moves on to the punchline, I love that stuff, no studio sheen at all, just pure grit.

You can hear how influenced he was by Kool G Rap, the way he owns the beat, slowing down at the right time and double-timing when it fits. The Buckwild production is class. Too bad Big L was murdered in his prime.

This is mosh-pit music. Biggie portrays 2 characters, and he sounds overtaken by rage, this is probably the most gassed he ever was on record. I seriously had 16 BIG tracks on my original list, I feel empty inside leaving some of those out.

I think Method Man steals it from Biggy though, he's actually perfect in that song, so I guess it would be slightly wrong to have it as the only Biggy track in here. Wish they'd done more tracks together though, I could listen to their voices spitting verses one after another for pretty much my entire life.

Even with urban dictionary at your side, you would still not be able to decipher what Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba are talking about. You can get the general gist, but it's hard enough just trying to figure out exactly what they are saying. Their delivery is a mixed bag of esoteric nonsense, mumbling slang, blaxploitation ebonics and smoov pimp talk. These guys make Ghostface sound like Theodore Cleaver. Their uniquely toned voices and rapid-fire delivery add even more intrigue to the mixture. Luckily for us, the chorus to Luchini is easy to understand while also serving as one of the most memorable hooks in all of rap music.

The legendary Ski Beatz produced the track, as well as the majority (all but 1 song) of Uptown Saturday Night, which is underrated top 10 classic material. There's a reason the new Curren$y albums are getting such high praise (from myself included), and it doesn't have too much to do with Curren$y and his rapping abilities. There's also a reason why I hold Jay-Zs Reasonable Doubt on such a pedestal. Ski knows how to work horn samples, and this here IS how you work some horn samples, it's a perfect beat in every possible way.

This is it (What?!)
Luchini pourin' from the sky
Lets get rich (What?!)
The cheeky vines
The sugar dimes
Cant quit (What?!)
Now pop the cork and steam the vega
And get lit (What?! What?! What?!)

Blackalicious & Black Star were the only ones I was serious about (oh, and Digable Planets, but they made it in) (oh oh, and just in case you hadn't realised, I only said "apart from Respiration" cos that was ruled out). The Jason Nevins remix hit the UK charts pretty hard for a while and possibly turned some people on to Run, but it ain't great.

The rest is all stuff that I personally love but which I'm well aware would not be anywhere near anybody else's top 100. Or maybe even mine...

1. Outkast - ATLiens
lp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NywdVBwzurUVideo http://vimeo.com/2908575Not a big surprise here, it was either gonna be this or Git Up, Git Out. In the end, I had to got with the track that began my hip-hop fascination. I was 14 and already into rap, but mostly west coast radio hits and some Wu and BIG and the classics. I hadn't really made the effort to start buying or collecting until after I heard THIS track. I never looked back, and have been an avid hip hop collector ever since. This song has it all and when you have one track that is responsible for shaping your music taste for years to come, it has to get the number 1 spot.
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4263515#r5495033"Well it's the M - I - crooked letter, ain't no one better
And when I'm on the microphone you best to wear your sweater
Cos I'm cooler than a polar bear's toenails"

Not a big surprise here, it was either gonna be this or Git Up, Git Out. In the end, I had to got with the track that began my hip-hop fascination. I was 14 and already into rap, but mostly west coast radio hits and some Wu and BIG and the classics. I hadn't really made the effort to start buying or collecting until after I heard THIS track. I never looked back, and have been an avid hip hop collector ever since. This song has it all and when you have one track that is responsible for shaping your music taste for years to come, it has to get the number 1 spot.
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4263515#r5495033

"Well it's the M - I - crooked letter, ain't no one better
And when I'm on the microphone you best to wear your sweater
Cos I'm cooler than a polar bear's toenails"